NVO Volunteer - Ranch Crew

RANCH Crew Volunteer (“The Full Ranch Experience”)

Welcome to the ranch; you’re not at Burning Man anymore (even though it’s right next door). 

We create connections and build community via management, logistics, and materials support of the Nevada Operations and The Burning Man Project staff members & volunteers. We provide storage, living space, project management support, fabrication of housing, and maintenance of assets that ultimately are deployed to Black Rock City for the Burning Man event. 

We co-live and work as a tight-knit group of makers, artists, craftspeople, thinkers, and industrial laborers. We often experience daily or weekly changeovers that shift us from a quiet isolated environment to a bustling production epicenter. Our community of 30-50 people spends 6-9 months together at a time. We’re excited to explore new frontiers and provide a safe, welcoming space for extremely diverse levels of skilled and/or novice artists. Our priority is to provide all guests with the assistance they need to create an intentional community and achieve their project goals. 

During Burning Man, we will provide you space in our staff camp to pitch a tent or park a trailer, three meals a day from our wonderful commissary, and daily showers. After Burning Man, we will provide housing or a space for you to park your trailer and power as well as 3 meals a day from the NVO Kitchen.. You will also receive a staff credential/ticket to Burning Man as a thank you for your time and energy! 

Date and time frame of role (Flexible)

• Pre-event— local, 30 hrs per week beginning August 1 (Note some positions may begin as early as June 1, 2026)
• During the event— 2 full days 
• Post-event— local, 30 hours per week (Mid-September to the end of October)

List must-have talents  ***

• Comfortable living where you work 
• Comfortable with communal living spaces 
• Comfortable living in a remote, harsh weather environment (2 hrs from a city)
• Much of the work will be in outside weather conditions
• Comfortable with a variety of tasks, adaptable to spur-of-the-moment requests
• Open and excited to learn new skills and meet people with a diverse background

Nice-to-have talents  ***

• Can drive stick (manual)
• Familiar with power tools and equipment
• Motivated to see the big picture
• Ability to advocate for yourself
• Driver’s license (no insurance required)

List of potential tasks ***

• Report to and support Ranch Operations and carry out daily goals 
• Help staff & volunteers
• Participate in activities
• Fluff Ice and water 
• Deliver heavy materials 
• Landscaping & mooping  
• Safety awareness 

***subject to changes throughout the season 

The deadline to apply for this role is 5:00 pm Pacific on April 24th, 2026. 

If joining the Ranch Crew sounds like your kind of adventure, don’t wait. We review applications as they roll in, and spots can fill up fast. Getting your application in early gives you the best shot at snagging the placement you want.

NOTICE FOR ALL APPLICANTS:

• Burning Man Project celebrates the importance of creating a diverse environment and enthusiastically encourages Black, Indigenous, Peoples of Color, LGBTQIA+, Immigrant, women, and people with disabilities, of all ages, to apply.
• Burning Man Project provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
• Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.